This was Chicago Marathon number three for me. Harold has retired so rather than flying we drove to Chicago. It’s a long drive from Ottawa! About 12 hours, depending on traffic and boarder crossings. We split it up, driving from Ottawa to Windsor the first day. We spent the night in an airport hotel in Windsor and took a walk along the river in the evening. The riverfront walk in Windsor was very pleasant. There were nice views of the Detroit skyline and lots of other people out for an evening stroll.
We drove from Windsor to Chicago on the second day and checked into our second airport hotel of the trip. The Extended stay America Suites O’Hara. I picked it because it was cheap (we paid $512 USD for 4 nights), it had a kitchen, and it is relatively close to the Rosemount park and ride. The hotel was fine. The staff were great, we had a kitchen with pots and pans once we asked for them and there was a laundry. The breakfast was very basic (instant oatmeal, coffee, packaged muffins, and granola bars), but that was okay because we had a kitchen and there was a Target down the street.
The Rosemount CTA station is on the blue line which is the rail line to and from O’Hara, so it runs 24/7. There is parking available for $7.00 for up to 14 hours. You can buy a 24-hour ticket for the CTA at a machine in the station for $5.00. It’s about a 45-minute ride into downtown Chicago. Jackson is the closest station to the race start and to the expo. Although the expo is a bit of a walk. You can change lines and get one stop closer to the expo.
We made the mistake of using google maps which had us get off at Washington Station and transfer to Millennium station which we had trouble finding. Millennium station is on the commuter rail line which does not run as regularly and is not included in the CTA ticket. You have to buy a separate ticket for $2.00. We tried to get to the expo when we arrived on Thursday but once we found out how to get there it was too late. It was a lovely night, so we walked along the riverfront walk which was very lively. A great spot for photos and the famous architecture of Chicago. You can book an architecture boat tour, rent a kayak, stop by a bar for a drink or a bite or just go for a walk.
On Friday morning we figured out how to get to the expo and pick up our bibs. The commuter rail does go right to the Lakeside Centre. The expo was well organized and big. Lots of vendors, all the big brands and lots of giveaways. The lines were long, but we got a free T-shirt, and I got a free jacket from Milk.
The expo was everything that the Boston Marathon expo used to be and should be! No one selling leaf guards for your gutters!
We had a pleasant group dinner at Roberts Pizza and Dough Company. The food was good and the prices were not outrageous. Nice to see Donna, Lisa and Debbie who joined the four of us for dinner.
On Saturday morning Harold and Yvonne ran the 5K which starts at 7:30 am. It was a good test for race morning as the start is near the marathon finish. We had to get up at 4:45am to make a 5:30am train for a 6:30 am entry into the start corals. It was cold and we probably got there too early. Mike and I cheered the runners. The finish and start are in different places and there is no bag check so it’s very helpful to have a buddy to carry your clothes! You do get a very cool hat and gummy bears at the finish line.
Sunday was race day and Mike, Yvonne and I along with serveal other Ottawa area runners were running in the Abbott World Masters Age Group Championships. It is an invitation only event which was run as part of the Chicago Marathon this year. In 2021 and 2022 it was held as part of the London Marathon and in 2024 it will be held at the Sydney Marathon. We paid extra to run it but people who I spoke to who went to London said it was well worth it. The jury is still out on the Chicago edition.
We were asked to be there for 5:30 am. Given our remote, but cheap. location that required a 3:45 am wake-up to make a 4:30 am train. Harold dropped me off at the kiss and ride and went back to get a little more sleep. This made a lot of sense because once you go into the secure runners only area your friends and family may never see you again!
There are 9 entrances to the runners only zone and your suggested entry gate is on your bib. We had our own entrance. 9 which was a bit confusing because it was not on any of the maps. It was just in an email sent to us by Abbott.
I found the entrance by following the crowd and I was there before it opened at 5:30am. There was an obvious issue. 2700 runners had to pass through a gate and have their bags inspected and tagged. There were three people working at the gate. I waited 20 minutes to get in and the line behind me was only getting longer. We were asked to check into the tent by 6:15am. I made it by 6:00 am The tent was great, chairs, heat, tables and food. Much better than sitting in a field. It was also pretty empty because most of the runners were still in line trying to get in. We had our own bathrooms but the lines were pretty long. We also had a separate bag check. It was understaffed and it took a while to check the bags in. But the tent was heated!
We were near the finish line and a long way from the start corals. We were lead to the corals in groups starting at 6:30 am. I went with the second group at 6:45 am. I have run this race before, so I knew that they are serious when they say the start corals for wave 1 close at 7:20 am and the bathroom lines inside the wave 1 start are massive. Ingrid and I followed our assigned guide as far as the wave 3 start area where the bathroom lines were much shorter because wave 3 starts at 8:30 am. I then made my way to wave 1 unguided. I had some idea where I was going which helped.
The gun went off at 7:30 am but even though I was in the third group of wave 1 it took me 10 minutes to cross the start line.
One thing everyone will tell you about Chicago (and its true) is that you can not trust your Garmin for splits. The big buildings cause a lot of bounce. The miles are all marked but it’s easy to miss a few. Your best bet is the 5K markers which all have time clocks. You can use them if you know what the time was at when you actually started or you can check your watch for the time at each 5k mark, having said that my new Garmin 965 did not have any really odd km. There are regular aid stations on both sides of the road with Gatorade endurance and water. The stations are long and I had no issues getting what I needed. There are 20 stations plus a couple with bananas and gels.
The course is basically flat except for the hill in the final 400m which is just cruel. It does have a lot of turns and I did have to do some bobbing and weaving to avoid other runners particularly at the water stations. The course also goes over serveal bridges with metal grates. It you are on the blue line there are carpets but that’s not always possible.
I started in coral C I knew I was not really going to run that fast so I started in the back. It was cold so I went to the start corals in my bathrobe and I kept it on until about 10 minutes before the start. At that point there were clothes flying everywhere as people removed their final layers. I had an extra shirt. arm warmers and gloves still on after I started. I tossed them all into the crowd along the course.
It was an ideal day temperate wise. A little windy but there were lots of people to block it. I knew I was not going to be as fast as I was in Berlin but I was secretly hoping to get under 3:30. I checked my times at each 5k split and I was holding a pretty steady pace. I was around 1:41 at the half. I knew I was losing some time between 25k and 30k Mike and Yvonne started in the coral behind me and Mike passed me at about 30k. He was trying for 3:15 and he ran 3:14:37 a PB by over 4 minutes. Yvonne did not pass me but she PB-ed as well in 3.25.10 Harold spotted me at 25 miles but I was pretty focused and I had no idea he was there. I finished in 3:28.16 which I was quite happy with. Donna was happy with a 4:53.02 but as she started two waves behind us I did not see her on the course.
Once we crossed the finish line we were eventually guided back to our heated tent.
There was food, beer and massages which was great the only problem was the gear bag check. It was total myhem, A small number of volunteers in a space that was way too small with 2700 bags for runners who all ran in the first wave and finished relatively close together.
This was a good representation of the best masters age group runners in the world and the average BMI was pretty low. They needed their clothes! Thank goodness the tent was heated/ I think the beer helped too. I was the first to find my bag.Mike had been looking for his for almost an hour. We eventually found everyone’s bags. But to be honest it was a bit of a mess.
Once everyone was reunited with their bags I found Harold in the friends and family area which was also a bit fo a challenge and it would have been much harder without two cell phones.
Overall. Still a great race. Definitely put it on your list.
Things to know
- The closest subway stop to the start is probably Jeffereson.
- It does take along time to get through through security, drop off your bag and get into the coral.
- Aid Stations
- If you have supporters agree in advance about there they will try and be along the course so you can look for them in the crowd.
- The athlete alert system texts are way behind but if you open the tracking app and look for your runners on the map its pretty accurate.
That’s it. . . and if you made it this far, reward youself by checking out our short little RunK2J at Chicago whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_symV3Fv8fAeekend race video we posted on YouTube. Music inspired by Blues Brothers, as we visited Chicago House of Blues.
Run K2J 